Cong-BJP poll battle gets more intense

Ahead of the municipal elections in the Capital, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Congress government in Delhi for its involvement in several alleged scams including the Commonwealth Games, regularisation of unauthorised colonies and housing for poor.

Ahead of the municipal elections in the Capital, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Congress government in Delhi for its involvement in several alleged scams including the Commonwealth Games, regularisation of unauthorised colonies and housing for poor.

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Gadkari said the BJP would provide a corruption-free MCD if it was voted back to power.

He also released two books on corruption — ‘Dilli Mein Ghotalebazon ki Sarkaar’ and ‘Ghotale Ek Nazar Mein’ — at a function at BJP’s Delhi headquarter on Tuesday.

While one book listed the alleged scams and cases of corruption during the rule of Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, the other smaller booklet talked about the 35 alleged scams and cases of corruption involving the Delhi government.

Gadkari slammed the Sheila Dikshit government for ignoring the findings of Prime Minister-appointed Shunglu Committee and Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports in the Commonwealth Games. .

“The Congress led-Delhi government has been involved in a lot of irregularities, which the Shunglu Committee and CAG reported. It is for the voters of Delhi to decide whether they still want to elect a party that is surrounded by corruption,” Gadkari said.

“In contrast, BJP removed Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa following a similar report from the Lokayukta,” said Gadkari.

In response, Dikshit said that the BJP was raising “national” issues to hide its “failures”.

“He (Gadkari) is raising national issues for municipal polls. Why is the party not talking about its performance in the MCD in the last five years,” Dikshit said to reporters.

Meanwhile, in a press conference, Delhi Congress Pradesh Committee president Jai Prakash Aggarwal said BJP misruled the MCD in the past five years and put additional burden on the people of Delhi with increased house tax, toll tax and parking charges and completely ignored basic amenities such as roads and sanitation.

Delhi transport minister Arvinder Singh said the BJP was fighting local elections on national issues.

“The elections are to elect councillors for the MCD. Why is BJP’s campaign focused on the Centre and the Delhi governments? Why can’t they talk about local issues?” Singh asked.

Delhi power minister Haroon Yusuf said BJP’s own party worker who had been expelled has questioned the party’s rule in the MCD.

“When the party’s own leader starts questioning, you can imagine how directionless the party would be,” the minister said.